Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of distributed communications systems. More specifically, the present invention is related to a method for recoverable message exchange independent of network protocols.
Discussion of Prior Art
Recent advances in wireless and other connectivity technologies related to the Internet have allowed users, such as workers, to access company data without being confined to the physical boundaries of a corporate network. However, reliance on remote connections can sometimes leave workers disconnected from critical data when they are unable to remotely access the corporate resources and data.
Current methods for maintaining up-to-date information for remote users have typically relied on a “pull” model in which remote users connect to the corporate resources when possible and search for and download new data such as price lists or other information. This model requires users to search for and locate relevant information. This activity may take as long as or longer than the actual downloading of the information. Furthermore, if large amounts of data must be downloaded, the remote user must hope that the remote connection stays active long enough to complete the download. Otherwise, the download may be abruptly terminated and the download restarted at some other time.
For many years, IT efforts have concentrated on the server side of distributed computing: providing integrated application services and back-end data to clients that were connected via high-speed links. The focus on the server side was necessary because the vast majority of applications used a tightly coupled, synchronous communication model. Applications were constructed with this model as the design center, but they did not work very well with mobile, occasionally connected clients. People have attempted to solve this problem in a number of ways, including “thin client” computing, web browser based applications, and various data caching strategies. But these approaches do not change the inherent disadvantages of using synchronous, tightly bound, client/server applications in a mobile environment. Whatever the precise merits, features, and advantages of the above cited references, none of them achieves or fulfills the purposes of the present invention.